


The Rain is Pouring Down on Me

by shippingismylife321



Category: Be More Chill - Iconis/Tracz
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Squips (Be More Chill), Angst with a Happy Ending, Falling In Love, Fluff, Heavy Angst, I'm Bad At Tagging, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Kidnapping, M/M, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Slow Burn, Strangers to Friends to Lovers, Suicidal Thoughts, Torture, emotional support kitten
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-19
Updated: 2020-10-05
Packaged: 2021-03-01 00:49:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,082
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23206522
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shippingismylife321/pseuds/shippingismylife321
Summary: A young Jeremy Heere is doing normal teenage things like shopping at the mall and hanging out with his friends. Until one day a mysterious boy named Michael Mell enters his life. Michael has been missing for the past three years. Jeremy is about to learn of people he didn't even know existed and learn a very dark secret hiding in the basement of a seemingly harmless store in the mall.
Relationships: Jeremy Heere & Michael Mell, Jeremy Heere/Michael Mell
Comments: 25
Kudos: 52





	1. "You need to listen to me very carefully."

**Author's Note:**

> Hello people! Long time no see. I apologize for lack of stories. My school is closed due to Coronavirus giving me more time to write. I'm particularly proud of this story idea. Enjoy reading!

Jeremy was browsing through a new store that had just opened up in the mall. The store was pretty cool, it was kind of like a mixture of Hot Topic and Forever 21 which was a pretty strange combo, but made for some nice clothing options. 

Jeremy was looking through the cardigans hoping to find a different color other than his normal blue one. His friends weren’t with him, which he was honestly a little happy about considering he had been needing some alone time. 

He was about to make his final decision and go up to the register to pay, but all of a sudden someone spun him around, making Jeremy let out a high pitched shriek. 

“Shut up!” The person whisper shouted at him. Jeremy then got a good look at the person in front of him. It was a boy who looked about his age, he had tan skin, he was shorter than Jeremy by a long shot. He wore glasses and a red hoodie covered in a variety of patches. He also looked like he hadn’t slept in months.

“I need you to listen to me very carefully.” The boy said. “My name is Michael and I have been stuck in the basement of this store for the past three years. Everyone who works here knows who I am and what I look like. You are going to buy the cardigan you’re holding and use that to distract the cashier. Once you do that I am going to leave this store and then you are going to meet me in the nearest bathroom.” Michael then ended his explanation with him shoving Jeremy away and towards the counter. 

Jeremy stood shocked by everything he had heard, but managed to flip his autopilot on and started to pay for his cardigan. He saw Michael dart out of the store from the corner of his eye while he was paying. 

Jeremy quickly exited the store after he was done paying and made a beeline towards the closest bathroom. Once he found them he slipped inside and sure enough he saw Michael standing by the sinks. 

“What the Hell just happened?” Jeremy managed to squeak out as he set his bag on a somewhat dry spot of the sink counter. 

Michael’s head jerked up as he heard a voice and looked at Jeremy. “Dude. Thank you so much. You saved my life. I cannot thank you enough and I’m really sorry to have put you on the spot like that.”

“I-What?” Jeremy said, looking mildly distressed with the information. “My name is Jeremy.” He then settled on saying.

“Nice to meet you, Jeremy.” Michael replied with a small smile gracing his features. “I’m not ready to tell you anything that happened yet and I don’t want to impose on you or your life, but I need some place to stay. I don’t remember where I lived before. I understand if you say no, so please don’t feel like you have to do this.” Michael said looking down at the ground. 

Jeremy was speechless. He couldn’t just leave the poor guy here with no place to go. Jeremy knew his father wouldn’t be too happy having a complete stranger living in their home. Jeremy decided he would just have to explain everything to his dad and then hope for the best. 

“You can live with me. At least for a little while. Since you have nowhere to go. There will be food on the table and you could live in the guest room. This is all moving quickly, but I will try to help you. That’s a promise.” Jeremy then said. He was determined to make sure Michael would be okay and eventually get back on his feet. 

“Really? Thank you so much! I can’t thank you enough.” Michael shouted, his eyes lighting up. “But we have to get going. They’re going to notice that I’m not there.” 

Jeremy nodded his head and started walking towards the door. “Come on. Let’s get going to my car.” 

They got to the parking lot and entered the blue civic that was Jeremy’s car. Michael got into the passenger seat and started looking out the window as soon as the car started moving. He looked deep in thought and scared. It wasn’t a situational type of scared, it was one where you were always expecting something bad to happen. 

“So. Do you like video games?” Jeremy asked, trying desperately to break the tense silence. 

“I love video games.” Michael responded looking surprised at the question. “I remember back during freshman year I used to play this one game all the time. I don’t remember what it was called though. It was an older game, all pixelated and stuff and you had to kill zombies.” Michael added. He sounded sad that he couldn’t remember what he was talking about.

  
“That’s Apocalypse of the Damned!” Jeremy exclaimed, surprised that someone besides him had even heard of the game before. “That game is my favorite! We could totally play when we get back to my house.” Jeremy said happily before immediately correcting himself. “I mean if you want to of course. I’m sure you’re overwhelmed and I don’t want to make things worse.”  
  
Michael smiled at Jeremy’s ramble. “We definitely can sometime. Maybe not today though. I kinda feel like shit and I am overwhelmed like you said. I really appreciate you looking out for me though.”  
  
“Yeah. No problem.”


	2. What do you mean "forever?"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A young Michael Mell wakes up in a strange place with no idea how he got there and no way of knowing how to escape.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I am back with another chapter. I apologize for the wait. This chapter is a flashback to when Michael first got kidnapped. Also, there are Undertale references, but they are important to the story. I hope you enjoy reading!

Michael awoke with a start, rubbing his eyes from the sudden bright atmosphere he was put in. He opened his eyes only to find everything a blurry white. Michael started feeling around for his glasses and found them close to him on the floor. As he put them on he felt panic spark in his chest. Michael was no longer in his basement playing video games. He was now in a padded cell with one door across the room from him. 

“H-hello? Anyone?” Michael called out timidly. He stood up and walked towards the door to look out the small window that was integrated into the door. There was nothing outside, just more of the same rooms that he was in. Michael stepped back from the door as confusion sunk in. 

Before Michael could even think about looking for his phone the door opened and what looked to be a nurse walked into the room. She glanced down at the clipboard in her hand before looking at Michael. “Oh good. You’re awake. Michael Mell? Correct?” The nurse asked as she closed the door to his room. Michael swallowed hesitantly. “Y-Yeah.”

The nurse scribbled words down onto the clipboard. “Where am I?” Michael then asked anxiously. The nurse looked at him skeptically. “Middlewood Institution.” 

“E-Excuse me?” Michael asked incredulously. “Why? Where? What? I was at my house playing games, and then all of a sudden, I’m here?” 

“It appears to be that way.” The nurse then squinted her eyes at Michael. “Listen to me Mr. Mell, I am not here to play games. You are here for a reason and I would rather keep the visits I have in this room to a minimum. Do I make myself clear?” The nurse asked him sharply. 

“Y-yes.” Michael said as he slowly inched his way backwards away from the nurse.

“Good. Now give me your arm, we need to take some blood tests,” The nurse said as she glanced down at her clipboard. 

Michael looked at her anxiously. “What are the blood tests for? Are you going to h-hurt me? I haven’t done anything, I swear.” 

The nurse glared at him as she forcefully grabbed Michael’s arm and stuck the needle into his arm. “Shut up. I don’t care about you or what happens to you. You are going to be stuck here for as long as He has any say in this. Everything you are asking is confidential. All I care about is that at the end of the day I still have my freedom and safety.”

Michael winced as she pulled the needle out and quickly backed up to where a bed was pressed up against the wall. 

“Now, I’ll be back again in a few days for you to come meet… Him.” The nurse said hesitating before she spoke of the conspicuous figure. “Your first test is to see how long you can manage to go without food. Don’t worry. You’ll be fed again after you meet Him.”

And with that the nurse left the room leaving Michael to his own thoughts. 

‘Test? What does she mean, test? Michael thought to himself. He didn’t understand anything that was happening.

Michael tried really hard not to panic as soon as the lights turned off in his cell. He’d always been afraid of the dark and now there was nobody around to help him.

  
  


True to the Nurse’s word, Michael did not get fed the next day or the day after that. Nor did he have any sort of human interaction. To say that he was scared would be an understatement.

By the time the fourth day without food rolled around, Michael thought he was going to lose his mind being trapped in the room, until the same nurse came back.

“Alright Mr. Mell, follow me and you will be meeting the man in charge of all of this.” The nurse said, gesturing for the boy to follow her. 

Michael stood up wordlessly and followed the nurse out into the brightly lit hallway. Michael had to squint his eyes as the fluorescent lights burnt a hole into his retinas. 

“Um. Can you at least tell me your name? Nurse Lady isn’t really a good thing for me to go off of in my head.” Michael said, chuckling nervously. 

“Dotty. Dotty Beckett.” Dotty answered back curtly.

A few minutes go by until they stop in front of a room where the door looks different than the others. The door was black and had the word ‘Head’ burnt into it. 

Michael stared at the door with a hesitant look in his eyes. 

“Alright this is you.” Dotty said, pulling Michael out of his thoughts as she opened the door. “Good luck.” Dotty told him as he walked in.

In the room there was a desk and that was it. It was odd to say the least. The walls had nothing on them and were painted plain black. No one was in the room. 

Michael sat down at the chair in front of the desk, glancing around curiously as he waited for somebody else to show up.

“Ah. You must be Michael Mell. The newest subject here in our lovely lab.” A male voice started talking as he appeared from seemingly nowhere. 

Michael jumped at the sudden presence of the man talking. 

The chair that had been vacant when he walked in now had a man sitting in it. The man had a black suit on and was quite tall. He looked at Michael with his sharp neon blue eyes as if examining him for his next big project. 

“Who are y-you? Why am I here?” Michael asked the man, getting straight to the point in the hopes of understanding why he was there. 

“My name is not important. You are here because we have seen great potential in you. You have an extremely powerful soul. As you probably know, red souls or determination souls are the rarest souls in the whole world and we need someone like you to help us.” The man answered his questions which surprised Michael. 

“Of course, we don’t really want anything to do with your personality or well being.” The man added on. “This is an experiment to see how well a determination soul can last without the person who bears fall into complete hatred. It’s a test of endurance really. I don’t care if you go insane and I especially don’t care how much you cry and plead for help. You are here for this experiment and this experiment only. This is your new home, so you may as well get used to it.” The man spoke with such cruelty in his voice that it made Michael shrink back in his chair.

“That will be all for now. If I hear that you are misbehaving, I will punish you accordingly.” The man then said, not letting Michael speak. “Dotty, bring him back to his cell.” He then said pressing a button that opened his office door. Dotty nodded her head and escorted Michael towards the door.

“Oh and Michael.” The man called after him. “I can’t wait to see what you have in store for us.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! Any and all feedback is welcome as long as it is constructive. Also, I live on comments so please leave one for me to read. I hope you are all staying safe and healthy during these rough times.


	3. While you were sleeping in the other room, I was trying to escape my doom.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Michael explores the new house he's going to be living in for quite some time. Jeremy tries to understand a little bit more about Michael.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, all! I am so sorry this took so long! School has been stressful and I am not very good at remote learning. This is my last week of school before the summer, so updates should be happening more frequently within the coming week. Also, trigger warning for brief mentions of an eating disorder/refusing to eat. This is a trigger warning, right? Anyways, enjoy the chapter!

Michael awoke with a start from the flashback nightmare he had. The whole thing was just a horrible reminder of what happened over three years ago. 

Michael quickly surveyed his surroundings and it took him a few moments to realize that he was no longer stuck in the cell that he had called home. He was in Jeremy’s house. He was in Jeremy’s guest bedroom. 

This whole thing was a reckless idea, really. Michael just wanted a way to go back to his normal life, he wasn’t expecting some random stranger he didn’t even know to actually let him stay inside of his house until he could remember where his life was before.

That’s just the kicker though, isn’t it? Even if he could find his life from before, wouldn’t his family have moved on already? They probably moved houses and took all of his things to some Goodwill for another kid to have. 

Michael just shook his head. He didn’t like thinking about that. He then felt around the night table for his glasses and put them back on his face. He knew he wouldn’t be able to go back to sleep so he decided to look around the house for a little and explore any possible exits that he might need to use. 

Michael quietly opened the door and padded down the hallway towards the stairs. Michael didn’t particularly like stairs. They just reminded him of all the times that Dotty would throw him back down the stairs to the lab when he was caught trying to escape. 

Michael quickly walked down the stairs so he wouldn’t have to think about it any longer. He walked over to the kitchen and looked around.

The kitchen was simple. There was a stove that still had pans on it from days before. The fridge stood next to the stove. It was silver in color and looked cold to the touch. Michael didn’t know why, but he decided to look inside of the different cabinets. All he found were pots, pans, and cups. He didn’t know what he was expecting exactly. There was a sliding glass door connected to the kitchen. 

‘That’s one escape route.’ Michael thought to himself, quickly taking note that there were blinds covering the glass meaning he would have to take an extra step if he ever had to escape. 

Michael then walked into the living room. This room was messier than the kitchen. He saw a TV that sat in front of the couch. There were soda cans and bottles everywhere. He could see the front door from the living room which was placed in an awkward wall between the stairs and the living room. 

The surroundings were overwhelming him. He hadn’t seen so many items and different kinds of furniture in such a long time. His brain couldn’t comprehend all of it. Michael sat down and closed his eyes, giving himself time to breathe a little.

“Michael, are you okay?” A voice said startling Michael so bad he fell off of the couch. Michael quickly looked up and saw a sleepy looking Jeremy standing over him.

“Oh fuck. Sorry! I didn't mean to scare you.” Jeremy said, looking at the boy on the floor in front of him. Jeremy stuck his hand out which Michael hesitantly took and pulled himself up.

“It’s fine. I wasn’t expecting anybody to be awake.” Michael said, rubbing his eyes and looking at the taller boy.

An awkward silence filled the room as the two boys who barely knew each other stared at the floor trying to think of what to say.

“Do you want something to eat? You didn’t eat anything earlier.” Jeremy asked not knowing what else to say to the boy in front of him. 

Michael looked at him surprised. “N-no. I’m okay. I’m not very hungry.” Michael was lying through his teeth mostly because he knew that if he ate he would probably throw it up immediately. He couldn’t remember the last time he actually ate normally. 

Jeremy looked at him skeptically, but decided not to pry. He didn’t know what Michael has been through, it would be rude to ask when he knew pretty much nothing about him. He just nodded in return and glanced back at the stairs. 

“What are you doing down here anyways?” Jeremy asked, not wanting to lapse back into awkward silence again. 

Michael honestly didn’t know how to even answer that question. Was he really going to tell him that he was looking for different ways to escape just because he is weak? Michael really didn’t want to. It sounded crazy even to his own ears. Michael shifted his weight from one foot to the other. “I just… wanted to look around. I couldn’t sleep.” That was a good answer, it wasn't too weird.

“Okay. I can show you around the neighborhood when it’s day time if you want. That way you can know where stuff is if you ever need to go somewhere.” Jeremy offered, knowing that it would probably be best for him to understand where everything is at. 

Michael just nodded his head and chose not to say anything which brought the inevitable awkward silence back. 

Michael then shook his head as if having a silent conversation with himself and looked up at Jeremy. “I’m sorry. I’m really overwhelmed and it’s hard for me to express how I’m feeling sometimes. I totally imposed on your life and if you want me to go, then I will.” 

Jeremy’s eyes widened. “Hey, no, no, no. I don’t mind at all. While, yes, the circumstances aren’t ideal, I’m not about to leave you alone when you’re scared. I’m sorry if I made you feel like I didn’t want you here.” Jeremy placed a hand on the shorter boy’s shoulder.

Michael immediately flinched at the touch and smacked Jeremy’s hand away from him. Jeremy jumped back in surprise at getting hit and took a half step back. 

“Sorry! I just hate it when people touch me without warning.” Michael said, realizing that he just physically hurt the boy in front of him. 

Jeremy visibly relaxed at this information glad that what he said wasn’t the wrong thing to say. Jeremy then glanced at the clock, it was much later than he thought it was.

“Do you want to go back to bed? I mean, you don’t have to or anything. I’m just kind of worried that you won’t get enough sleep and then you’ll be tired tomorrow, and then you’ll feel even worse and I don’t want you to feel wor-” Jeremy then cut himself off, realizing that he was rambling.

Michael chuckled at the taller boy’s anxious rambling. “Sure. Let’s go back. It’s too dark down here anyways. I don’t like the dark.

The two boys make their trek back up the stairs and they both stop at the entrance way to Jeremy’s room. 

“C-can I stay in your room for tonight. I don’t want to be alone.” Michael asked nervously, afraid of being alone with his own thoughts.

Jeremy’s eyes softened as he looked at the boy in front of him. “Of course.” He replied knowing full well that his dad would ask him how it was once he saw another person in his bed. 

They both entered Jeremy’s room and got underneath the covers of his bed. There was a little buffer space between them to ensure that they wouldn’t get too close to each other. 

“Good night… Micha.” Jeremy whispered softly, coming up with the nickname on the spot.

Michael turned to face Jeremy with surprise written on all of the features on his face. “Good night… Jere.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! Constructive criticism is welcome. I felt that this chapter was a little boring.I hope that you are all staying safe during these times. Drop a comment and tell me what you think!


	4. Your sunshine rays get rid of my gloomy days

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I'm very happy with how this chapter turned out and I hope you will be too.  
> EDIT: Sorry. I totally forgot to put a trigger warning in. TW: Panic attack, intrusive thoughts

Michael woke up the next morning without any more nightmares. That was probably all thanks to Jeremy who was a literal saint for just going with the flow no matter how weird it was. 

Michael grabbed his glasses that were on the table next to the bed and put them on his face so that he could get a better look at his surroundings. The first thing he noticed was that Jeremy wasn’t in the bed next to him. The realization that he was alone was enough to make his eyes start burning. He quickly blinked back any tears that may have made it to his eyes and tried to convince himself that Jeremy was probably just downstairs.

As Michael looked around the room, he realized that he did not have any other clothes with him, aside from the ones that he was wearing now. ‘Fuck. I can’t just wear Jeremy’s clothes.’ Michael thought to himself.

Eventually Michael decided not to do anything about it and just ask Jeremy if they could go somewhere so that he could buy new clothes. 

As Michael walked out of the room and towards the stairs, he could hear hushed voices talking about something in the family room. He decided to stay at the top of the stairs to listen. 

“I’m sorry, what? You’re telling me that there’s some kid in the house right now who ran away from something that he won’t even tell you about because he needs refuge? Jeremy, this person could be dangerous. We need to tell the police.”  
  
“But, dad. I talked to him and trust me, he’s not dangerous. He seems really nervous and like he needs people to care for him right now. If we called the police, there’s no telling what could happen to him.” 

“The police might be able to send him back to his family. Then he could get the love and support he needs from them.”

“He’s been gone for three years, dad. I bet they’ve already grieved and miss him everyday, but they’re still living their life. If he went back to them now, it would be overwhelming for both parties. Besides, he doesn’t really seem all that eager to go back home anyways. Can we please keep him here? Just for a little, if it doesn’t work out or his family really does find him then we can let him go.” 

Michael was nervous. What if Jeremy’s dad decided to call the police? No one would believe his story and he would end up homeless and alone with nobody. The thought was enough to send him spiraling. All he could think about was being stuck in that white room all alone for days, maybe even weeks on end. The constant paranoia and not even being fed some days. It was awful, he never wanted to go through with that again. 

Michael felt tears streaming down his face along with little whimpers leaving his throat as he sat down on the top stair and clung to the pole attached to the railing. He was going to end up all alone and then eventually go insane. He couldn’t handle that, he would rather die before going through with that again. He was going to die alone and afraid, with nobody who cares about him. Just some dumb kid who thought that maybe he would get something from this world, when all he would get is death and loneliness. 

“-Chael! Michael! Hey, are you okay? What’s going on?” A voice said that snapped Michael out of his thoughts. 

Michael looked up and saw Jeremy who was kneeling down in front of him with a concerned expression on his face. When Michael tried to answer, all that came out was a gasping sob. 

Jeremy went to put an arm on his back so that he could comfort the boy, but Michael let out a startled scream and slapped Jeremy’s hand away. Jeremy flinched back slightly, but then he decided that it would probably be easier for him to just use his words rather than physical touch. 

“It’s okay. It’s okay. Breathe in for four, hold for seven and out for eight, okay? Keep doing it until you feel like you can breathe again.” Jeremy told Michael. The only reason that Jeremy even knew that was because he remembered when one of his classmates was having a panic attack in the bathroom at school and he was completely clueless as to what to do. He remembered telling him to breathe until another kid with shoulder length brown hair told him to move because he didn’t know what he was doing. After the kid who he later learned was named Evan had calmed down, he and his friend Connor taught him what to do when someone was having a panic attack. The advice had stuck with him since.

Jeremy quickly shifted his focus back to Michael, who seemed a lot calmer than he had been moments ago. Before Jeremy could say anything, Michael launched himself into Jeremy’s arms. Jeremy hugged the smaller boy instinctively and before long Michael pulled back rubbing his eyes underneath his glasses and muttering out small apologies.

“Hey, it’s okay. Don’t be sorry.” Jeremy said reassuring the boy. “Do you feel better now? What happened?”

Michael looked away from Jeremy’s gaze before responding. “Please don’t leave me alone. Please don’t kick me out.” 

Jeremy shook his head at the other boy before confidently saying, “I wasn’t planning on it. You can stay here for as long as you need to. My dad will just have to accept it.” 

Jeremy then grabbed Michael's hand and led him down the stairs where his dad had been listening with an expression of shock and despair on his face. 

Mr. Heere looked at his son and then looked at Michael. Michael did not seem dangerous at all. He was like what Jeremy had described him to be. He was nervous and scared and he was slouched over which made him seem smaller than he already was. He then sighed and looked at Jeremy. “He can stay.”

Jeremy felt a grin spread across his face at his dad’s words. “Thanks, dad. I promise you won’t regret it.” 

Mr. Heere nodded his head at his son before awkwardly smiling. He had no idea what to do after that with such an odd and extreme situation in his hands. “I gotta get down to the office today. We’ve got a big case that came in yesterday.”  
  
“Okay. Bye, dad.” Jeremy said, waving goodbye at his father as he walked out the door. 

  
  


“Do you want something to eat? I’m assuming that you’re probably hungry since you didn’t eat anything yesterday.” Jeremy asked Michael. 

“Uhhhh, sure. I’ll eat anything so make whatever you want. Michael answered quickly, not wanting to deal with the inevitable anxiety that would come if Jeremy asked him any more questions. 

Jeremy nodded his head before walking into the kitchen with Michael closely following him.

Eating was a lot harder than Michael had thought it was going to be. The food actually looked appetizing and he was genuinely hungry, but something in his body was making him feel sick just thinking about eating it. Michael swallowed his fear down and ate slowly. He didn’t finish it, but he ate a little more than half which he still counted as a success. 

Michael dumped the rest of his food into the trashcan and put his plate in the sink. He sat back down at the kitchen table and watched Jeremy look at his phone. Once Jeremy saw that Michael was looking at him, he set his phone down. An awkward silence spread throughout the room. 

Michael cleared his throat before he started talking. “So, uh, these are kind of my only clothes right now. I was wondering, if maybe, we could go shopping for some new clothes?”

“Yeah, totally. I would love to show you around town. Chances are, we might run into some of my friends while we’re out. They’re always out shopping or getting food. Would you be okay with that? I won’t tell them what happened if you don’t want me to. Jeremy replied, giving him a heads up. 

“Okay, that’s fine. As long as they aren’t too nosy or loud or anything.” Michael said, knowing full well that his conditions were completely unrealistic. The look on Jeremy’s face proved that as well. 

“They are loud. But, uh, they probably won’t bother you too much if I keep them distracted.” Jeremy offered, wanting to make Michael as comfortable as possible, so that the boy would still want to go out into public after his soon to be encounter with Rich or Christine. 

Michael nodded his head. “Do you have earbuds or something? I really don’t like being in areas with a lot of noise or talking people.” 

“Let me go check my room real quick. You can come with me if you want to.” Jeremy answered before getting up and heading towards the staircase. Michael followed, not wanting to be alone after what happened. 

Jeremy rummaged around his room for a little before finding what he was looking for. It was a pair of white headphones. 

“I used to use headphones, but I figured out that I liked earbuds better. I never got rid of these though. You can keep them.” Jeremy stated before handing them to Michael.

“Thank you.” Michael said as he put the headphones around his neck.

“Of course. Are you ready to go?” Jeremy asked, a small smile gracing his features.

“As I’ll ever be.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! I apologize for taking month breaks before uploading. I tend to get a little unmotivated and don't write anything. This chapter is a little longer than usual. I hope you liked it! I'll try to stay consistent with uploading every Sunday if I can. Comments are my life force and I love them, so please don't hesitate to say anything. Until next time!  
> EDIT: I had to some editing on this chapter after a quick re-read and that's why it's being reposted.


	5. Where are You?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another flashback to the lab

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys! Long time no see! I apologize for taking that very long break. I promise this story is not abandoned. A bunch of different shit happened during June which made me lose my motivation for a while. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter! Updates will be more frequent, but keep in mind that I do have school. Also, the new character in this chapter has a neurological disorder that I did study before I wrote about it. If you have any criticism about it please let me know. Thank you for reading!

Michael was led back to his room after the very unsettling meeting with the boss. Michael was still confused as to why he was never informed of the man’s name. 

Michael walked back into the overly white room and the door was slammed behind him with Dottie giving him a very nasty glare through the glass on the window. 

Michael didn’t understand why the color or trait of his soul was important in any way, shape, or form. While he knew that determination was the rarest soul type in the world, he didn’t really think anything of it since he in particular couldn’t do anything special. 

Michael thought back to his life before he was put in this awful place. Michael’s parents were not home often, for they had busy jobs that kept them away from home much more often than they would like to be. 

Michael had a best friend. Not just a best friend, it was someone he grew up with and who was always on his side no matter what. Her name was Frisk. Frisk was a ball of sunshine that he missed dearly. He couldn’t even imagine how she must be feeling right now. 

Frisk had a rare disorder called FND, which stood for functional neurological disorder. This caused her to have things like tics and seizures. Even with such a horrible disorder that she resented almost everyday, she always kept a smile on her face.

Before Michael had woken up in this strange place, Frisk’s tics had started to worsen in severity and she probably really needed a friend as of right now. They didn’t have anyone else, they had only had each other for so long. What was he going to do?

  
  


The next few days passed by in a blur, they all seemed to be exactly the same to Michael. It’s not like he got up or did anything there was nothing to do. 

Finally a few hours before it was lights out, Dotty came into Michael’s room to check his vitals. She wasn’t nice about it, but she wasn’t too mean about it either. She didn’t say anything, but the presence of someone else in his room was nice.

“So, how have you been doing here the last couple of days?” Dotty asked, making brief eye contact. She seemed genuinely curious which surprised Michael, since he thought Dotty didn’t actually give a shit about his well being. 

“Uhhh… Fine, I guess. Pretty boring and I wish I could leave.” Michael answered honestly. Dotty gave him a look of pity which left as quickly as it came. 

“Well, I’m afraid you won’t be leaving as soon as you would like. In fact, you’ll probably be here for a very long time.” Dotty answered truthfully. 

That was the answer Michael did not want to hear at all in his entire life. He always knew in the back of his head that he may never see the light of day again, but he didn’t know how to accept that. 

After seeing Michael’s face of despair, Dotty sighed. “Look, I’m not really supposed to do this, but I have your phone. I can give it back to you, if you only tell your friends and family that you are safe, but you cannot tell them where you are at all costs. Their lives will be in danger.” 

Michael’s face lit up and he immediately nodded his head yes and held his hand out to take his phone from Dotty. She handed it to him and he powered it on, nervous to see what awaited him from the worried texts that undoubtedly were burning a hole in his phone. 

Dotty left shortly after and said that she would be back again soon. 

Michael was definitely right, he had over 50 texts combined from both his family and Frisk and over 20 missed calls. He opened up his phone contacts and looked at Frisk’s text first. 

Frisk: Hey, where are you today? Are you sick?

Frisk: Are you mad at me? Did your parents take your phone away?  
Frisk: I stopped by your house and your parents said they haven’t seen you! 

Frisk: Where are you? Did you get lost going to 7/11?  
Frisk: But, seriously, where are you?! 

Frisk: Well, I’m just going to keep texting you until you respond.

Frisk: At school today there was a sub and he really sucked. He thought my tics were just for attention, typical, right?  
Frisk: I really hope you come back soon.

Frisk: Michael, I miss you. 

Michael sighed. He felt so bad for leaving her alone, but it wasn’t his fault. How could he possibly worry Frisk even more than he already had by letting her know that he was fine? She wouldn’t take his explanation as an answer and would text and call until she got it. He contemplated what he was going to say before finally texting her back.

Michael: Hey, Frisk

It took almost no time before he saw that Frisk was texting him back.

Frisk: Oh my God! Where have you been? I’ve been insanely worried about you.

Michael winced as he read that, feeling guilt flood through his body. 

Michael: I know, I’m sorry.

Frisk: Well, where are you? 

Michael: I can’t really tell you where I am, but I can tell you that I am safe.

Frisk: What? What do you mean you can’t tell me where you are?

Michael: Now I know you’re scared, I am too. I don’t know when I will be home or if I’ll be okay when I come back.

Frisk: Why can’t you tell me? Is everything okay where you’re at? Should I tell your parents that you're still alive?

Michael: Yes, you can tell them that, but they cannot call the police or even come looking for me.

Frisk: Fine, I trust you. Please keep me updated.

Michael: I will.

Right after Michael sent that text, Dotty came back in and held out her hand to take his phone back. Michael hesitated, but eventually gave the phone over. Dotty then left without another word to him. 

Everything had happened so fast to Michael, he didn’t know what he was going to do. All he knew was that he had to get out of this place somehow. Even if it hurt him. 

Michael’s phone dinged with another text that he had yet to see until the next time he could get his phone. It was two simple words.

Frisk: Be safe. 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed it! I am aware that Frisk is the main character from Undertale. Keep in mind that she is a totally different person and basically my OC, but I decided to keep the name Frisk because I like it.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! I will take any and all feedback. Please drop a comment for me to read during these boring times.


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